Gaylord teacher shines at Chicago Marathon

GAYLORD — Sue Ballard was in the middle of training for her second-straight Chicago Marathon last year when the improbable happened — she broke her ankle while tripping over a root at Aspen Park.

That set her back for the 2009 Marathon, but not forever. As soon she could, she got back to running with her sights set on running this year’s Marathon.

Ballard, a physical education and health teacher with Gaylord Community Schools, put forth an outstanding performance at the Chicago Marathon earlier this month, finishing in the top 11 percent of her age group with an impressive time of 4:01.16. She trimmed the time of her first Marathon, in 2008, by 25 minutes.

“I had a goal in my head and I was only a minute off of my goal,” Ballard said. “I thought I would get it, but I really started to lose energy the last couple of miles. During the last mile, I had absolutely nothing left in the tank. I just hoped to see the finish line.”

Ballard’s father passed away of cancer at age 43 and when she reached that age, it stood out all the more to her. She decided to dedicate herself to running and finished the 2008 Chicago Marathon in honor of him.

“It was something to push myself and now I’m hooked,” Ballard said. “It’s my way of staying active.”

That is something she preaches to her students, some who are as young as first grade. While they may not have a full grasp of what it’s like to run for four hours straight, they were very excited for Ballard’s accomplishment.

“They were really happy to see my medal and were fired up and excited when I talked about it,” she said.

Ballard spends most of her time training at Aspen Park, although she now stays mainly on the paved path following her ankle injury. She said she is amazed by the amount of runners and well-wishers at the Chicago race and everyone kept in strong spirits, despite temperatures raising into the 80s.

“There are so many people that no matter where you are, you’re running with other people,” she said.